The Doctrine of Guru-Panth Origin and Its Characteristic Features
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The Doctrine of Guru-Panth Origin and its Characteristic Features Dr. Balwant Singh Dhillon Director,CSGGS G.N.D. University, Amritsar-143005. Broadly speaking, the Sikh ideology is grounded in the religious experience of Guru Nanak and his successors. Even a cursory examination of the Bani of the Sikh Gurus, suggests that they were not inspired by any deity or personality of the Indic or Semitic tradition. Their denunciation of the contemporary religious beliefs and practices leaves no room for any doubt that they wanted to lay the foundations of a new social order of which the Unity of God and the universal brotherhood of humankind were of utmost importance. The successors of Guru Nanak continued to strive for his mission which ultimately fructified in the emergence of Sikh Panth in India. Before his demise in October 1708 at Nanded, Guru Gobind Singh discontinued the line of personal Guruship and instead conferred upon his spiritual as well as temporal authority upon the twin institutions of Guru Granth and Guru Panth respectively. The name ‘Sikh’ signifies a person who believes in One, All Sovereign God, teachings of the ten Sikh Gurus and Guru Granth Sahib. The word ‘Panth’ literally means path propounded by a religious teacher. The early Sikh community was known as Nanak Panthis (disciples of Guru Nanak) but with the creation of Khalsa in 1699, it came to be known as Khalsa Panth. However, with the bestowal of Guruship along with Guru Granth Sahib, the Khalsa Panth also assumed the status of Guru Panth. The present study seeks to underline that how the doctrine of Guru Panth developed into an institution and what are its characteristic features. However, before taking up the issue of Guru Panth, we will have to take a cursory glance at the ideological and historical developments that had taken place within the Sikh Panth prior to the investiture of Guruship on it. Guru Nanak (1469-1539), the first Sikh Guru founded a new and separate fellowship which was open to all irrespective of caste, creed and sex. He considered himself the divine minstrel whose chief avocation was to sing the glories of God. Although he never claimed himself to be an incarnation of God, yet he made known the will of God through his Bani. He unequivocally criticized the contemporary evil order whether it was social, religious or political. He composed a number of hymns and used them for devotional singing. He went on great journeys through Indian sub-continent and west Asia and had interaction with a wide variety of religious people. During his sojourns in various lands quite a few people got attracted to his teachings. He organized his disciples (Sikhs) into congregational (sangat) circles. Finally, he settled at 1 Kartarpur (Now in Pakistan), a small town established by himself on the right bank of river Ravi. Here he founded a religious centre known as Dharamsala, where a group of dedicated disciples gathered around him. The disciples and adherents who flocked to him lived a corporate life in the Dharamsala. He taught them the basic principles of his faith and instructed them in the Sikh way of life. Besides worshiping together in the Dharamsala, they ate together from the common kitchen (Langar) run collectively by them. Before his demise in 1539, Guru Nanak chose Guru Angad, one of his disciples to succeed him on his spiritual seat. The line of successors established by Guru Nanak continued till the death of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru in 1708. The Sikhs believe that though the Sikh Gurus were different in person yet all of them were the carriers of one spirit (Jyoti), the ‘Spirit of Nanak’. Ideologically speaking, Sikhism is purely a monotheistic religion. It believes in One, All Sovereign God who is the Creator, Transcendental and Immanent as well. It out rightly rejects the theory of avtarvad and does not subscribe to the worship of various gods, goddesses, deities etc. The God of Sikhism responds to the prayers and sincere supplications, thus to invoke it there is absolutely no need of a priestly class. It implied that the Sikh ideology has made the human beings free from the slavery of animate and inanimate beings. Thus, human beings’ first and foremost allegiance is to God alone. The idea of Unity of God is not merely a metaphysical or theological dogma but a supreme value to be cherished and practiced in this very world. The traditional Indian world-view had been of negation. Although the Sikh teachings do not dispute the perishable nature of the world, yet it has not been despised simply as an illusion. The world is a reality though it is not as real as its Creator. The Sikh world-view takes into account all the spheres of life including the Mother Nature. The whole of this world is a Dharamsala, a sacred place to practice religion and live in. The world has not been divided into two distinct and opposite realms-- sacred and profane. It neither involves withdrawl from the world nor does it accept the decadent social order as it is. It calls for struggle not only to eradicate evil but to establish a fresh world order where the higher values of truth, justice, honesty, goodness, love, brotherhood, equality, compassion, etc are in full flow. The Sikh teachings do not preach pessimism but lay emphasis on active and purposeful life. Normal family life is not an impediment in the way to communion with God. The believer is exhorted to live a detached life amidst the worldly temptations. It takes into account the whole gamut of human relationship and encourages discarding the otherworldly attitude in order to become a useful citizen of the world. 2 Human being is not a physical body alone; he/she also carries a spiritual element which belongs to the creative genius of God. It is an interior (inner self) place where one can realize God in a mystic manner. Human being is held supreme among all the living beings. It distinguishes human beings from the animal world which in turn confer upon them special status and dignity in the cosmic plane. Human life is a gift of God, a mission and an opportunity to achieve the summum-bonum of life. Although human beings enjoy freedom of will, yet he/she carries responsibility to understand the meaning of being a human otherwise they would regress to the level of animals. Ego is the root cause of evil in this world and it results in alienation from God. Antidote to it is the meditation on the name of God which finds expression in the truthful living. In God’s court one’s status is measured only in the terms of good deeds. The Sikh teachings endeavor to develop an integrated personality, a perfect one free from internal and external constraints of life. An enlightened man participates in worldly affairs in a positive manner to improve the whole environment of society. He does not shun social responsibilities rather keeps equipoise even in adverse circumstances and remains ever ready to serve the society. There is no legitimacy to divide the human beings on the lines of caste, creed, race, ethnicity, region, etc. All distinctions between man and man have been rendered invalid. The stress is on equality and brotherhood which are rooted in the principle of common origination of humankind. The Sikh teachings stand for casteless and classless society, guarantying equal rights to all the citizens. Usually, the Sikh teachings are summoned up in three terse phrases: Kirat Karo (earn your livelihood by the sweat of your labour), Naam Japo (meditate upon the name of God), Vand Chhako (share your earnings with the others). The Sikh concept of God, world and man; the resultant attitudes and the institutional set up were largely instrumental to establish Sikhism as a separate and independent religion. Up to the third and fourth Sikh Gurus, the Sikhs were settled in and around the Punjab. During the fifth Guru, the number of Sikhs increased spreading almost to all the important cities of Mughal India. In 1577, Guru Ram Das founded the city of Ramdaspur and excavated a tank, Amrit Sarovar (the pool of nectar) there. In 1589, Guru Arjan laid the foundation of central Sikh shrine amidst the Amrit Sarovar and subsequently the city of Ramdaspur came to be known as Amritsar. Here in 1604, Guru Arjan compiled and installed the Sikh Scripture, the Adi Granth in the central Sikh shrine known as Darbar Sahib (the exalted sanctuary of God). In the same precinct, the Akal Takht (the Throne of Timeless) built by the Sixth Guru stands witness to the Sikh idea of sovereignty. It symbolizes interlocking of the temporal with 3 the spiritual in Sikhism. It is the highest temporal seat where the Sikhs hold discussion on the matters concerning the community. If we look into the congregational character of the early Sikh Panth and democratic traditions prevalent in it, then the investiture of Panth with Guruship looks to be a natural and logical development. A cursory glance at the early Sikh sources reveals that during his travels quite a few persons had felt attracted to Guru Nanak to embrace his faith. Wherever he found such disciples he had organized them into congregational circles popularly known as the sangats. The early disciples of the Sikh Gurus were called as Nanak-Panthis, however in due course they came to be identified as Sikhs or Gursikhs. The meeting of two Sikhs was known as a religious congregation whereas convergence of five or more Sikhs enjoyed the status of holy assembly.